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Trekking: The Sky Nest takes camping to new heights

Man isn’t meant to stay indoors — our weekly “Trekking” column can attest to that. It’s a column dedicated to the adventurer inside of all of us, the one pining to ditch the office humdrum for a quick surf session or seven-week jaunt in the Grand Tetons. One day we may highlight an ultra-light stove and the next a set of handmade canoe paddles. Life doesn’t just happen inside the workplace, so get outside and live it.

The ability to remain grounded is an admirable quality — well, at least when talking about personal attributes. It’s a different story when it comes to camping, though, especially when you consider the lofty benefits you’ll receive if you decide to suspend your tent above the ground. Doing so allows you to forgo the wet, uneven ground you’re occasionally forced to contend with in the backcountry, while additionally allowing you to escape the snakes, bugs, and all manners of creepy crawlies that might otherwise call your sleeping bag home. And the cool factor? Yeah, there’s that too.

Just take the alluring Snow Peak Sky Nest ($1,300) as an excellent example. You can suspend the tent between two trees in similar fashion to Tentsile’s tree tents, but with a few subtle differences. Unlike the latter, for instance, the Sky Nest utilizes a durable steel frame and 600D polyester for the bottom, adding a welcome level of rigidness that’s not always available with traditional hammock-style dwellings. The comfortable, 4 x 7-foot space also sleeps two, with nearly 4 feet of headroom and a hidden shoe pocket beneath the floor for when you need to hide your kicks from bouts of bad weather.

Other features, though not completely necessary, are an added plus. A retractable inner liner helps with inevitable and unwanted condensation, for instance, while an generous ventilator at the top ensures ample airflow alongside the wealth of mesh paneling, the latter of which further increases breathability and acts as window to the outside world. The Sky Nest’s padded sheets and bundled ropes just mean you can properly secure it without harming the trees. It’s safe to say that the Lorax would be proud.

Check out the Snow Peak online to browse the company’s collection of outdoor gear and apparel. The Nest is currently unique to Japan, but thankfully, it’s still available through Amazon and select retailers if you’re willing to pay a bit more.